Homeward Bound

New Zealand

2007-07-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

After hanging out in LA for 10 days or so, it was time for the last leg of the trip home. I chilled out ALOT in LA, I explored south of El Segundo along the coast to Hermosa and Manhattan Beach, and similar northwards towards Venice Beach and Santa Monica. The weather was generally nice but not hot, and the sun was always shining. riding along the beach bike path underneath the runway exits from LAX is an interesting experience. at one point 2 747's blasted out over the ocean from their runways headed for god knows what pacific destination, pretty loud!!

So I left LA behind and took a 13 hour journey to Auckland crossing the international dateline. I departed on June 30th and arrived a bit before sunrise on the 2nd of July in NZ, this was kinda strange!!

I spent the day exploring Auckland which was quite small, i checked out the skytower and most of the downtown area. The next day i jumped on board the STRAY bus which would be taking me and a dozen other backpackers down through the north island to wellington and then back again. The first day we drove out and over the coramandel peninsula to Hahei beach which has a high level of geothermal activity which pushes boiling hot water bubbling up through the surface of the sand. We went and dug out a few holes in the sand which you can then sit in like a spa!!

The Sky Tower lit up at night, Downtown Auckland

Hot Water Beach, Near Hahei. Low ambient temperatures mix with boiling water producing a steaming hot beach scene!!

We did a sunset walk out to cathedral cove (omg) and i got some great images, the next morning we got up at stupid o'clock for sunrise, which was also spectacular. we then drove back over to the western coast to Raglan. We stayed up in the rainforest and saw plenty of glowworms. I went down to the very rocky beach for sunset after storms all afternoon cleared up, but was left a little dissapointed. Raglan is sposed to have some great surfing, i met a guy who was travelling from the USA just surfing round the world, from San Diego to New Zealand, to Margaret River WA, then on to Indonesia, he was cool!!

Cathedral Cove at Sunset

Sunrise on the beach

nest morning we stopped in Waitomo for a few hours. to do a caving tour which involves abseiling down waterfalls into a network of caves about 100 metres underground. They do say you will get wet, but due to recent heavy rainfalls, it was VERY wet. so much fun, crawling through tiny gaps in the rocks, walking through the back of a waterfall then down on your stomach and underneath openings (full of water) about 2 feet high, it was a great experience, then climbing back out until you see daylight again after nearly 3 hours in pitch black (yes you have headlamps). YOU SIMPLY MUST DO THIS IF YOU GO TO NEW ZEALAND. its hard to explain in words, and the bastard tour company wouldnt let me take my (new, waterproof, bought specifically for this tour) camera so i cant really show you pictures, but it is a supreme experience. massive spiders down there too!!!

Rocky Beach at Raglan, sundown.

Next stop was Rotorua another highly active geothermal area. I stayed a few nights there with some british blokes i became friends with, we went sprint car driving which was fun and also did some rock climbing at an indoor climbing wall as well. The Hostel had an indoor and outdoor pool, both supplied with heated water from the geothermal springs underneath it. we got boozed up in the outdoor pool one night and a couple of nights later had an absolute blinder which involved drinking at the "grumpy mole" and carving up the dance floor at Lava Bar!!

Boiling mudpools in Rotorua

After 1 hours sleep, feeling seedy as all fuck, i boarded the bus the next day headed for Taupo, Skydive central on the norht island. You have the Massive Lake Taupo, the Tongariro national park (featuring the Lord of the Rings MT DOOM!!) and beautiful open skies to use as ecstasy for your eyes as you jump out of a plane from 12 or 15,ooo feet with about a 60 sec free-fall. When we got there the shitty weather had put a hold on the sky diving, so we decided again to stay for a few days waiting for the weather to clear up so we could jump. The weather had other ideas. Not only did we bum around in Taupo for 3 freezing cold, windy, and rather boring days, but when i left there headed for the best one day hike in New Zealand, the Tongariro Crossing, on the other side of the Lake, The inlcement weather had forced officials to close the route, meaning i spent another day doing sweet FA in the freezing cold.

Some of the people on this leg of the tour went for a walk and got lost in the dark while we prepared dinner in possibly the best hostel i have ever been in. and after a huge dinner, and apple crumble, custard and ice cream for desert, i hit the sack. at 8.30pm. slept like a log all night i was so knackered from the last night in Taupo where i yet again got hardly any sleep!!

Wellington was the next stop and hear i got to catch up with Jimmy, a room mate of mine when i first arrived in London. it was good to catch up and have a few beers. Next day Allison, his girlfriend arrived from the UK so i booted off and checked out some of Wellington including the big museum. That night i couchsurfed with Marijke and we went to an Indian resturaunt for dinner in the city. Great food and Monkey Bay Merlot, along with a friendly bunch if Kiwis made for a fun night. The next day we went for a drive around the surrounding areas of Wellington and then got some mid afternoon breakfast before meeting up with jimmy and alli and then going to see the All Blacks play the Springboks at a pub down town.

Peninsula on the outskirts of Wellington, pretty chilly, but great views

the final day was spent driving all the way back to Auckland which included stopping through Taupo to dropp off and collect some passengers. The weather was delightful. No wind, blue skies and skydivers parachuting down from above as i looked out of the bus window. but of course i had to fly back home tomorrow and couldnt stop for a night to jump. we spent 20 mins there and had to keep going. Not Happy. Although it did allow me to get some much nicer shots of the mountains which i guess is a positive.

Mt Ruapehu, beautiful morning

Then it hit me. This was it. On April 21 2005 Brendan and I flew out of Sydney bound for Hawaii, Canada, Europe and god knows what else, due to be home half a year later. But instead i managed to forge this amazing journey across the globe and back again. I had achieved goals i once aimed for, i saw some of the worlds greatest offerings and met such a wide variety of fantastic people. And now im sitting in front of a relatively small airline gate, reading "QANTAS flight QF34 - Melbourne" on the departure board. after 2 years, 2 months, 3 weeks and 4 days, I'm going home.

Trek America

2007-06-23T22:31:00.000-07:00

well the 21 day trip that has just wrapped up in LA was one of the most rewarding travelling experiences i have embarked on across this long journey of mine. I normally travel independantly as we did on our way around the globe, and then on my numerous trips into europe. But after my experience last xmas in meeting some great new people and having a really good time on an organised group trip, i felt that this 3 week road tripping van tour around some of the coolest cities and nicest national parks on the western side of the States should be pretty awesome.

SAN FRANCISCO

The Vibe of San Francisco was amazing, the Golden Gate Bridge and its almost evil veil of rolling mist was incredible. We took a bay cruise with beers, said hello to the seals that have taken over some of the jetties at pier 39 and explored the mecha of seafood restaurants around the area. Took a cable car ride down from the top of San Fran after walking up through china town and the steep inclines along the way to Lombard St, the famous winding descent filled with flowers and offerin great views of the bay. we did the night tour of alcatraz which was interesting but not as cool as i had hoped, then had a cherry fight in our hotel room.

Sun one side, gloomy mist the other

YOSEMITE

Yosemite was a beautiful park, the weather cleard up on our first morning there for our hikes. Kenny and Morty, two Danish friends went all the way up to half dome, a 17 mile hike. I pansied it and did the Nevada Falls trail, which was very pretty and gave me some great images, but after returning to the lodge and hearing the boys tell there story of half dome, i realised i should have just done it. We only saw one bear and sadly it was from the Van window as Emily, our tour leader freaked out on me when i asked to get out of the van to take a picture. it was a good hundred yards away with plenty of other people between me and it. It wasnt that big either. we doubled back after it being spotted and shouted out the window to a family that where fishing on the other side of the road (which was where it was heading until it was nearly hit by a car and turned around) that a bear was very close to them, but the lady obviously didnt speak english cos she just smiled and waved.

The view of the Half Dome and Nevada Falls

pool and spa party that night included shotgun and strawpedo races, lots more laughs and severe drunkeness. another tour leader from a different trek tried to tell us to go to bed, i fought hard not to tell the bitch not to suck my balls, even emily didnt like her.

ZION NATIONAL PARK

Night sky at Benton Hot Springs

slept under the stars and watched the sunsetand the moon and stars rise in a natural hot spring at Benton, then moved on to Zion National Park. Now this is one beautiful place. we sprung up early and took the shuttle into the park to the trailhead for the angels landing hike. the hike up offered amazing views back down the valley as the sun rose high enough to light up the corridor, and then once we were atop this huge plateau the views out (and down) were incredible. The last incline was steep and rugged, some places offering nothing but massive drops on either side of a narrow path. i found out on the way back down that the day before a father of foour had fallen off, in fron tof his wife and kids. poor bastard.

The view from Angels Landing

we also hiked the narrows, basically ankle to thigh deep water all the way up a canyon. Again lovely spot with some amazing natural rock formations and brilliant colours. BLOODY HOT!

BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK

Bryce Canyon National Park came next, somewhat smaller than the any other of the parks we visited, but no less, if not more impressive. The erosion has left amazing patterns in the remaning rocks, thors hammer is just one of many impressive formations remaining in this canyon that you can navigate the rim of in half a day. We came back for sunset but as i feared we were an hour or so to late as the canyon falls out of the light well before the sun actually goes down.

Looking down into Bryce Canyon

MOAB/ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

Moab was sweet. we hiked to delicate arch in Arches national park, i wsa slightly dispointed with Arches as it was less than i expected in terms of the numbers of these natural formations that we saw, however i did spend our free day there mountain biking rather than hiking in the park so i guess that kind accounts for that. Matt, Kenneth, Morten and I hired bikes and headed for AMASA BACK trail, it consisted of steep rocky climbs, technical descents, speedy rock singletrail, and some absolutly breathtaking view from the top of the amazing mesa that we climbed. Without the most eyegasmic vistas iv have had the pleasure of view whilst riding a mountain bike. the sheer size and scale of what was surrounding us put me in pleasure overdrive.

Delicate Arch and stone bowl

So anyway, we thought AMASA BACK was a loop, it was not. towards the top it was poorly sign posted and we only had small piles of rocks and the odd white spot painted on the rocks. As the we went further and further, it became more and more a rock surface and dirt (with visible tire tracks) became more and more scarce. It was boiling hot, pushing 40 without doubt. after blasting our way (in between losing the trail and finding again) as far as we could figure we could go, it became aparrent that we couldnt find the loop and would have to turn back. water was running low and we had to be back at camp and return the bikes.

A view from up on the Mesa. scale is hard to portray, it was BIG.

we soon realised due to not paying huge attention to how we were getting down, that the climb back up so we could back down the othe side was going to be considerably slower, and thirstier work. We also realised that it looked almost the same in every direction. luckily we were on top of a bug mesa and not out in flat desert or we would still be there now. It was one of the hardest rides out of anywhere i have done, for a while it was kind of scary (in the back of my mind anyway) but once we found our bearings and discovered memorable parts of the trail, it was just a matter of getting back..... without water. Dehydration sucks.... i managed to scam a couple of small bottles of water from a guy once we were off the mesa, but between four of us it went quickly, and we still had a 5 mile ride back into moab. when we found the first place that sold drinks (sadly mcdonalds!) i felt dead, my knees felt like i rusty hinges and my arse felt like i had been raped by a freight train. the relief of being back in civilisation was a great feeling. after lieing down for 10 minutes or so at camp i jumped up to the sound of thunder and both quads cramped simultaneously like i have never cramped before, i could feel tennis balls through my shorts!

The Jets, prior to our predicament, another great view, ( my bike: Intense 5.5 EVP )

MONUMENT VALLEY

Monument Valley was next, we descended down from Utah out onto the plains, i got a good shot of the famous highway with the buttes in the background, the spot were forest gump stops running if anyone can remember. We took a jeep tour with a Navajo Indian around the park and learned of ancient myths and stories of his ancestors. He also spoke about the recent Redbull air race, the rock face that tom cruise climbed for mission impossible 2 (on a blue screen back gorund, totally fake. As well as the butte were metallica and bon jovi have actually played and filmed music videos. we had a native american dinner under a huge rock face and continued on around the park. we stopped at one sacred spot were there is a large hole inthe top of a large rock face the comes out and overhangs above a semi circular formation. it resembled something similar to the dome of the pantheon if anyone knows it. he told us some more stories and then asked us to lie back and close our eyes and relax. He played a traditional Native instrument like a flute for about 5 minutes or so. it was a powerful moment i can tell you. i think it was longest concious moment that the entire group was silent for the whole trip. outstanding.

Monument Valley. simply stunning.

we were dropped off in the carpark to return to camp as the sun was setting over the valley, the navajo sang to us an ancient song and then asked all of us to sing songs from our heritage, after the poms sang god save the queen, the germans, dutch and danes, their anthems, it was my turn...... "working hard to make a living....."

Lake Powell was boating paradise, Matty and Lubeek, we gotta fly the boats over!! it was party central at eastons campground. after discovering that our atv rides were going to be "guided" and only for half an hour, we cancelled our booking s and decided to get rockstarred in their BYO bar area. a pool table, stereo with ipod connection, dance floor etc, the part was on. we made punch so strong that people wer drunk by 6.30pm, and i mean trollied!! some great photos from that evening. morty even got offered and email address and some "pictures" from some church chick that was partying with us!!!

THE GRAND CANYON

The grand canyon has a lot to live up to. Its awesome reputation, the enormity of its size, the hype of how fantastically amazing it is. I sadly was not as impressed as i had hoped when i first laid eyes on it, i think mainly due to the fact that we had seen so many other large canyons, cliff, plateaus, and mesa that it sort of lost its edge. It wasnt until i flew over it in a helicopter that it truly sunk in. Flying at relativly low level across the trees leading to the edge of the canyon, then sense of speed is good (approx 200kph). as we slung out over the edge of the canyon and over the abyss, its like you suddenly just stop. Its so vast that even though your still travelling at the same speed, its almost like your not even moving anymore, and its so much more impressive from above, especially when the day before you hiked down into it and even worse, up back out of it, in 44 degree heat!! The canyon looks good from the viewpoints at the top, but you have to explore it more before she really grabs a hold of you and puts you in your (very small) place.

The Canyon from the air

Sunrise at the grand canyon. its early, your tired. you will never experience anything like it, anywhere else in the world. a magical moment forever etched in my memories to the tune of some of my favourite music, dangling over the edge of a stupidhundred metre cliff, watching the light slowly fill the cracks and ravines, and the colour dance and change every minute. then when the sun first peaks over the horizon, it only lasts 5-10 seconds, but its natural morphine. mother nature was a chemist in another life....

Prior to the sun rising, Canyon rim.

LAS VEGAS

VIVA LAS VEGAS!! stinking hot vegas, i knowit ws hot in the desert, but vegas was just crazy. it felt like it was 50c. i think the concrete and tarmac, and the hot wind made it worse than it actually was, but damn it was sweaty. well actually it wasnt because it evaporated so fast.

we took the party bus around vegas for a couple of hours, a huge contraption like a nightclub on wheels, very freakin cool!! it had a pole, big tvs, awesome soundsystem and a ridiculous amount of booze. then we hit the bars and casinos, i forget a lot of it, but we got a taxi from the mirage casino back to the hotel at some hour. it was still atleast mid 30's at 2am.

part of the strip, including the MGM Grand

we explored several of the other big casinos the next day, Bellagio, Mirage, Caesars palace, the Venetian, i forget the rest, then later that night we went to a chapel were the married couple on our tour renewed there vows, which was an interesting experience. The n we went and played beer pong, folowed by checking out the New York, New York casino.

THE BITTER END

our final days in california were spent in San Diego, around Pacific Beach area. it reminded me of the beach culture of the surf coast in Victoria. we didnt do heaps really just dinner and drinking at camp, climbing trees and other general shennanigans. Checked out the aircraft carrier USS Midway and learnt quite a bit about the landing and launching of aircraft from a carrier. probably the highlight was visiting the bar from the movie TOP GUN after dinner at Hooters.

on our last day we went to universal studios LA, all we did really was go around to all the rides and have fun. Terminator 2 3D was cool, the big drop in the Jurassic Park ride was fun and the back to the future experience was the highlight of the day. We stole a free night in the hotel (all 7 of u in one single hotel room) so that those of us still left at the end of the day could drink our remaining alcohol and have one last dinner together.

last night on the booze with (l-r) Lee, Morty and Kenny

The trip was easily the most fun i have had travelling, not neccessarily the greatest sights i have ever seen, but a lot of tremendous places, great experiences, some lifetime friends and great memories. Its sad that its over, even though i was tired at the end, i would have said yes if emily had have asked if we wanted to keep going.

Now im just hangin out in LA at a friends place in El Segundo. its in between, Santa Monica/Venice Beach, and Manhattan/Hermosa beach. went to a party last night in a backyard of someones place at Venice Beach. his backyard was better than the beer garden at any pub i have been too. a large pond with fish and a waterfall, palm trees, a bridge over th pond down towards the fire and then a bar at the back. and i mean an actual bar, except the beer and other drinks are free. the garden was spectacularly layed out and the oil torches and decorative lighting were brilliant. only about 100 people there though....

apologies

2007-05-30T17:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry for a couple of the long posts earlier in the trip, got a bit carried away with details i should be putting in a journal and not boring anyone who is reading these posts....

Indianapolis

2007-05-28T19:39:00.001-07:00

Sabryna and her boyfriend picked me up from the Airport, she had just picked up her new car from the car yard. That night we went to a comedy club and then down to to check out the local scene, which was flourishing with hit cars, bikes and of course ladies. Next day we got up and drove toward the speedway. The weather was terrrible. Forecasts suggested 70% chance of rain between 11am and 6pm, so things were looking real good!! at 8 am at was raining steadily, race was scheduled for 1pm but who knew. Sabryna dropped me off at Georgetown road and i walked closer with about 25,000 other people. My first glimpse of the circuit from the outside gave me the impression it was big, but as i walked from turn four down along the front straight to turn one were i had to pick up my ticket, i learnt just how big it is, the image below gives some perspective, but there is no subsititute for the human eye. I got my ticket and headed for the seat on the opposite side of the track as time was becoming a factor for race start. cloudy, humid, but no rain yet.

Georgetown Rd, between turn 3 and turn 1

The view down the back straight

The view around turn three

just a few people in the crowd

It took a good 45 to get to my seat on the other side of the "North East Vista" aka Skin Cancer alley, i heard someone say. Not today. anyway amongst 40,000 other fans i sat and let the feelings sink in. the view wasnt bad at all, and after the anthem was sung and a minutes silence for those in the gulf, the fans got revved up for the parade laps and the green flag which was this year being waved by the Indiana Colts Quarterback Peyton Manning. half a dozen sparkling gold Corvettes led the pack around for a couple of laps and final, they were off. i left my ear plugs out for a couple of laps just to get an idea of the noise, yes they are loud!! but different to F1, not so high pitched. They look fast when they go past, but when you see them (and only just) head up the front straight after the last turn, you can really see the speed they carry. 223 mph (approx 350kmh) was the fastest i heard over the PA during the day.

Loved the Cheverolet Corvette Pace Cars

Lap Before Green, taking formation.

Yellow flags, a few cars went into the walls...

After several yellows, i snuck a whizz break in, at this point i will mention, that there must be a LOT of beer consumed at this event, i think i was one of the few people who didnt take an esky in. there were drunken idiots even before i had gotten in to the circuit, even so one chick dirty dancing some guy in front of a whole crew of people. it was "no shoes, no shirt, no service" at this party!!

As I walked out from the cesspit they called a toilet, the heavens opened, and the almighty wrath that several hillbillies out the front promised would come if i didnt drink more bud, was unleashed. After some time it stopped and then an announcement was made that it would be 6.30 before the track was dry enough to race on again, if it didnt rain before then. it was 4pm, 113 laps in and i was drenched. after deciding i could be assed waiting 2.5 hours for the race re-start, i made my way back out and home. It sucked to cut it short, but my experience of the event, the atmosphere, the people, and the racing itself was satsifying. However i will say the racing is pretty boring.

Scott Dixon, representing Antipodeans in the big race!

The next couple of days were spent jut realxing in a quite area in outside of the centre of Indianapolis. I had a look around in the centre of the city one evening with my host Sabryna, and also went to a good o'l cookout with some friends of hers and her father who was visiting from St Croix in the Virgin Islands. He was a nice bloke, we went down to get beer and meat in his hummer which was interesting!! i prceeded to get drunker than i should have, but it was a fun afternoon!!

So now im back in New York for the last time, just getting organised for the flight to LA tomorrow and the big trip which starts early the morning after....

things have been so much fun so far, but i have a feeling things are about to step into overdrive

and i can not wait....!

Chicago

2007-05-27T20:45:00.001-07:00

Chicago has so far been the trip highlight. I have never felt so much a part of a city than here. I was so lucky to be staying with Adam in Bridgeport, on the southside of Chicago. I felt like i slipped straight into the lifestyle of he and his friends.

On the first night we went to a pub called "The Map Room" which had a massive list of beers to choose from, the brew-master from Brooklyn Breweries was also there, so shook his hand. Had a Dogfish (something like that anyway) which was great, and a few other beers, which i would have written down, but who can be bothered at the time.

The next day i did some exploring of the city with Kate, one of adams friends, she took me to Millenium park and saw the fantastic "Bean" sculpture, and the art institute of Chicago.

That night we went to a White Sox game (Vs Oakland Athletics) at Comiskey Park, had plenty more beers and soaked up the atmosphere. I was supposed to go to a cubs game at Wrigley Field, however they were out of town the week i was there. That night on the way home we stopped in at Millers Tap to "throw bags" Adam and I took on 2 blokes who had been winning for some time, needless to say they beat us too.

Chicago Theatre

The Bean - Millenium Park

Another day exploring the city saw me venture into the museum of contemporary photography which was kinda small but very interesting, and walking out to Navy Pier, a huge amusement area, which hosts one of the oldest Ferris wheels in the States. I also walked back past buckingham fountain and some other park areas. The downstown area of chicago is very well set out, plenty of beautiful public spaces. I visited the United centre (home of the Chicago Bulls) and saw the Michael Jordan Statue, and also visited the Mexican Musuem of Art.

The Jordan Statue

Buckingham Fountain and city skyline

I had never heard of a band called "!!!" pronounced chk, chk, chk. But they put on a great show at theChicago Metro theatre, the night was complete with a bitch fight out the front. Some girl got vicious and kneed the other girl in the who-ha. we caught up with Adams friend nicole and went to a bar with her after the show, then we got the red line home. The next night Nicole and I went to an Argentinian restaurant, and then she drove me around the city at night to check it out after dark. the next afternoon we went for a nice walk through Lincoln park and along Lake Shore drive, walking along sandy beaches was something i hadnt done for a while!! On the way to the Sears tower, we stopped at a park which had thousands of pairs of boots as part of a memorial day tribute to soldiers that have died in the Iraq war, glad we saw it on the way. The top of Sears tower gave a good view of the CBD, and the sunset was interesting, despite being behind glass.

Memorial Day Boots in Park

Another beautiful public area

Looking into the CBD from Sears Tower at dusk

My last night in Chicago, that dark band across the sun is smog.

After the tower, we went and got Chicago style pizza for desert and the nwent to a pub and got a table tapper. Like a big tube of beer that holds about 8 pints, we had blue moon beer, i was pretty tanked by the end so it was good to get to sleep. We had breakfast together on the last morning and then Adam very kindly drove me to the airport, INDY here i come!!

Washington DC

2007-05-18T06:35:00.000-07:00

again sorry for layouts, im just running out of time ...

J Edgar Hoover FBI Building

Washington Monument

The White House

Lincoln Memorial across Reflection Pool

inside Lincoln memorial

Capitol Building

Airport transfer out to La Guardia was simple, flew in a tin can down the eastern seaboard to Washington in under an hour. It was scary being in something so small, you feel every bump and gust of wind, but it got me there, so what ever.

Flying in over the city gives you a good first glimpse. The Reagan airport isnt far from the CBD and as you come in to land you get quite a good aerial view of the Pentagon. An impressive building to say the least. Or is it what actually goes on inside there that makes it impressive? i dont know. You can also, if looking in the right place, breifly see some of the monuments on "The Mall" as its called.

I had to chill out for a while before my host finished work, i followed some directions of his to a waterfront section to have a drink and just relax for an hour or so. I must have gotten them wrong, because after half an hour of trudging around, again with all my stuff on my back, in the heat (it was 27c) sweating like a hippo all i found was the muddy banks of the wishka, or whatever river it is, i forget right at this moment. so i eventually made it in to the city where i just lay in a park under a tree and chilled for a bit, then made my way to Javier's house in Columbia heights. After dinner at "the diner" in Adams Morgan, a trendy suburb full of bars and cafe's, i hit the hay early in preparation for a big day of sightseeing the next day.

I got myself into the cbd area and made headway for the J Edgar Hoover FBI building. It wasn't too special, kinda similar to the pentagon i suppose, it was more about what happens inside than anything else. I stopped to take a couple of pictures, some scaffolding was stopping me from getting a decent shot of the main entrance, so i tried to to a pic with the sign on the side of the building, i took i few minutes getting the exposure right, and then moved on. within 20 seconds i was being approached by two different LARGE blokes, one in a blue DC PD uniform, the other in a white US Federal Marshall outfit. "you, come over here" "who, me?" "YEAH YOU" "Yes Sir". they asked me what i was doing, i said taking pictures (duh) and offered to show them what i had taken. There was a line of police tape surrounding the outside of the building so you could only get within 15 feet of the walls, the cop said to the marshall, "he was inside the tape" i couldnt resist, and bluntly stated that i was NOT inside the tape, thank you very much, he said nothing. after some moments of silence and me starting to wonder what the inside of guantanamo bay looked like, their moods changed and they playfully said, "so, where ya from?" "Australia?, Down Under? alright then man, you be on your way....." nooooo problems......

I proceeded on to the White House which was protected like fort knox, heaps of cops and people telling me to go away. I had to stand about 500 yards away to get a shot of it, in the photo you can see 2 guys on the roof with binoculars and no doubt some kind of anti-everything weapon. still, I saw it, i wonder if Dubya was in? On to the Washington monument, unfortunatly all the tickets to the top were sold already for the day, even though there was hardly even anyone there and it was about 11 am. It is situated in the middle of The Mall, a long stretch of open grassland, with trees on either side. at one end there is the Capitol Building, and at the other is the Lincoln Memorial. I chose to visit the Lincoln Memorial first and headed that way, stopping to see the WWII memorial which is situated at the start of the reflecting pool that runs all the way up to Lincoln. I couldnt help but play some music to help set the scene here, so i loaded up a bit of Creedence, I put on Fortunate Son (Hendry edit) and continued my way along....

The Lincoln memorial is possibly the most impressive building i saw here. Its large, with beautiful columns all around, and inside. apart from the stupid number of tourists and children, it was pretty cool to see. Some very interesting scripture written on the walls including the "Four Score and seven years ago..." and I didnt know he was a giant?

Despite the walk i thought it could be worth at least seeing the Watergate Hotel. It wasnt. but still, i stood there, i took a picture. F**k, I'm a tourist. So i walked back toward the city for lunch and then head up to the other end of the mall (its bloody long) and checked out the Capitol building. If my memory serves me correctly, i think this building was blown up in "Independance Day" with astounding realism. I attemped to visit the Smithsonian museum "National Air and Space" but there must have been just under 1 million people, the mojority teenagers, in the entrance lobby alone. So i left that for the next day.

I attended a couch surfing gathering at a bar called Gazuza in Dupont Circle, big storms rolled in as i made my way there so i got drenched, but it was worth going as i met several new people including the ambassador for Washington. i went to a restaraunt called Chipotle for dinner afterwards with a few new acquaintances which was very enjoyable. I had the Tacos, they were pretty good considering how they looked.

My visit to the Air and Space museum was very enjoyable, mostly due to my first ever visit to a Planetarium. I saw a show called "Cosmic Collisions" narrated by Robert Redford. It is needless to say that i am a person who enjoys visual stimulation, but this, this was something i had never known existed. I was absolutly stunned, it was so beautiful, i was just in awe... after it finished i bought a ticket for the other show that they run only a coupe of times a day, this time Narrated by Laurence Fishburne, which again was just an outstanding display of eyegasmic effects and galactic recreation. I can not recommend anything more highly to anyone that hasnt seen something like this. Mind blowing stuff!!

I capped off my last night in DC with game 6 between Chicago and Detroit at a sports bar in Adams Morgan. The bulls lost which kinda sucked becasue game seven would have been awesome, but i met some cool people including a guy who was going to Australia soon and the bar chick who had lived in london not long ago either, so we were discussing the differences in the beers here and there. I must have had 7 or eight beers, but she only charged me $9, so for the first time i happily gave her a tip worth more than the actual bill!! The Bloke going to Australia asked me an interesting question: "When i go to Australia, will people think i have an accent, or will i sound normal??, cos i dont think i have an accent" hhmmm, i'll put that down to the beer talking there... he also asked something about catching a bus from Sydney to Perth, i said it would be easier and cheaper, and perfectly safe just to hitchhike.

So now its back to New York, birthday tomorrow, that will be interesting, im gonna try NOT to drink this alcoholic urine they call light beer here, my god its foul, there are some really good regular beers here, and i have already sampled many, but this light stuff (light on carbs, not alcohol) is just wrong. flat, stale, urgh. I cant wait to get to San Diego and have a bottle of "arrogant bastard" 7.2%. one bartender said to me, you have to psyche yourself up to drink one, its a real task!!

www.arrogantbastard.com

NEW YORK, NEW YORK!!!

2007-05-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

Firstly please excuse the poor layout of images here, i have to resize them, which i do while i write so it saves time, the post them in, and, well anyway its a formatting nightmare, so here are some shots, stories to follow if you can be bothered.

Ground Zero

New York Stock Exchange

Empire State Building

Flatiron Building

Central Park

Madison Ave

Tip-Off Nets VS Cavs

Well the last tube ride on the Piccadilly line out to Heathrow was a surreal journey, i was playing music that i had planned to listen to on my way to the airport months before, and i felt exactly the the way i expected it to make me feel. leaving somewhere that you called home for 2 years for the last time i think is similar in a strange way to dying (if the whole life flashing before your eyes thing is true) all of the magic moments and great memories danced through my mind, the big weekends, the quiet moments, the short trips and the long ones. then the light at the end of the tunnel, Heathrow airport, ushered me through from the world that was London, on to the next chapter of my choose-your-own-adventure life.

Congratulations BA, i had a brilliant flight over and the seven hours flew by (gotta love a shitty pun) My first time on a 747, damn they are huge, taking off in one of those is a whole new experience. friendly staff and awesome in-flight entertainment kept me very happy....

upon arriving at grand central station my mood began to change. It was great to finally be there, and some of the things i was seeing were really hitting me, but i was in a situation i really shouldn't have let occur: I had no accomodation, and no couchsurfing host either. My plan was to walk into an Internet cafe (which there would be one on every corner surely) and check if any couchsurfing hosts had replied to my requests for a place to stay. This failed dismally, as i couldn't find one for the life of me. Even after asking numerous people, who were all to eager to help, but none actually could. I then realised that the info desk inside the station had shutdown, leaving me in an even worse situation.

My backup was to just stay in a backpackers or budget hotel close to the station, like there is in every other city on earth. Not New York. There was the Grand Hyatt, The Waldorff Astoria, The Leave your Black Amex Behind the Counter and a few others. Not even a sniff of a mid-price hotel. uh-oh. I couldn't even find a way to find out what area of Manhattan to head for where there WERE hotels or hostels, and there were no dodgy blokes hanging around the station even asking me if i wanted a hotel. where are you dodgy little man, where?

It was now after 10pm (2 am London) and i was really starting to hurt as i had been doing laps of the blocks surrounding grand central for a good hour now with everything i have on my back (and front).

I started to explore painfully further from the station and i finally find a net cafe. I paid $8 or something for half an hour, the guy behind the counter tried to rip me off with the change which i was in NO mood for, not this goofy lookin foreigner my friend. This half hour gave me enough time to discover that no couchsurfers had replied anyway, but more importantly where a few hotels were and a few phone numbers. After making some calls i made my first subway journey north along Broadway and finally got to bed just before 1am (6am London)

Welcome to New York. only just today i saw a guy in a supermarket with a t-shirt saying "Shit Creek Survivor" on the front, i laughed out loud and looked like a complete idiot, but if i had have seen him that first night in NY, i would have bought the shirt off his back if he had have let me....

ANYWAY, the next day was filled with the excitement I'm sure any New York visitor goes through, which rapidly wanes as you make your way down Broadway and through Times Square. Its a cool place, and it puts Piccadilly Circus to shame in terms of the advertising and commercialism, but the tourists. I wanted blood. they swarm around in packs, all wearing the same coloured shirts so they don't get lost, blocking streets and filling footpaths with their gawking and loud expressions of dismay at how cheap the fake cologne is on the street vendors stalls.Grand Central Station

I visited the Virgin Mega store and was harrassed by some wanna-be rappers out the front trying to give me there latest crap cd, which actually leads to them asking you to pay them for it, some other guy came over and offered to sign it for me "whoopee, some guy iv never even heard of is gonna sign a cd i don't want just so I'll pay 10 bucks for it" upon my blunt insistance to both of them "i don't want it" i was promptly told to "get the fuck outta here"!!!! i laughed so hard on the inside, not on the outside in case they shot me, and simply responded with "gladly, that's all i wanted".

I visited central park which actually was very nice, but again full of tourists. then more of the big names came along, Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, New York Public Library, Grand Central Station again, Madison Square Garden Etc. I even saw Toms Diner, which is the one that you see on every episode of Seinfeld (blue with orange neon lights)

I have always wanted to see an NBA basketball Game. That afternoon Vince Carter, Jason Kidd and the New Jersey Nets played host to LeBron James and the Cleveland Caveliers for game 3 of their playoff series over in New Jersey. I had no idea how to get there, and no idea whether i would get a ticket or not, but this may have been my only opportunity to see a match as the playoffs are winding down, and teams are being eliminated. I had to try. I went to Port Authority Bus Station and after checking both the ground and basement level info booths which said "CLOSED: please use other information booth" A friendly man noticed my dismay and asked me where i was going. I told him and he said "ok follow me", i was so keen on going and it was getting closer and closer to tip-off that I didn't think twice about following a stranger. well that's a lie, i did, but i didn't care. i just followed cautiously. we went up escalators, walked along concourses, through tunnels, this is one big bus station. it was getting quieter and less and less people were around. then it dawned on me. he is going to kidnap me. he is going to kidnap me, sodomise me, murder me in cold blood,wrap my lifeless body in an old carpet and throw me in the east river. i slowly began to lay mudbricks in my shorts. Then we came round a corner to a line of ticket stalls and dozens of people buying bus tickets out to the Meadowlands stadiums. Phew. the guy asked for a small tip for helping me out saying this is how he buys his crack, or something like that, so i gave him $2 and joined the line. another little nightmare over.

Made the journey out there including going under the Hudson river and getting a nice view of the Manhattan skyline. Had to wait for a bit in line at the arena, but got great seats MUCH closer than i had ever dreamt to my first NBA game, and a playoff match at that. I was stoked. i had a pissweak hotdog and a $7 plastic bottle of bud, and i loved every second of it. Incidently i decided to support the home team, mainly to avoid physical harm, as i was seated among a large group of nets fans. They surprisingly won, holding LeBron James to a low personal tally (which sucked cos he was really boring) Jason Kidd was the star, becoming the second highest, all time, playoff triple-double scorer in league history behind the man, Earvin Magic Johnson. He was outstanding, his play making ability, and 5 of 6 from outside the arc was all-star play at its highest. It was good to be there.

The next day involved moving to my first couchsurfing hosts place. Laura lived in the east village in lower Manhattan. We went for a walk with her dog who she adopted after it had been shot in the head, yes that's right, shot in the head, left for dead. Unbelievably obedient and calm dog. So for those of you with dogs that behave badly (how is your terror Dom and Nat?) all you have to do is shoot it in the head and it will behave like a guide dog! Anyway, we also watched a brilliant game of baseball at a sports bar. Boston beat Baltimore 6 runs to 5, despite being down 5-0 at the bottom of the 9th inning. tremendous play with a 6 run turnaround, the bar was a Boston suporters joint, so as you can imagine the place was going off!

On my last day before heading to Washington i explored lower Manhattan. My first stop was city hall and the Brooklyn Bridge, then i made my way to Ground Zero. It took my breath away. there isn't really much to see, its just a construction site really. There is a small section with a time line of the flights, collisions and other events throughout the morning, and a photographic exhibit which contains some of the most chilling images that will forever in time remind us of the frightful situations people found themselves in. Many images depicting the heroism displayed by servicemen and women that both survived and perished on September 11th trying to save as many people as they could. it really brought water to my eyes, as it almost does now writing about it. There is a quote written on one of the walls from a random civilian starting off "i remember exactly where i was that day....." I was at home working (last minute as usual) in the early morning on a university assignment, i got a call at around 2am telling me to turn on the TV. I sat and watched the until the sun came up, and both the towers went down. I remember.

so its touching, even though you're not there for very long. I also checked out Wall St and the New York Stock Exchange. If i had have known about the guided tours they do inside until 2pm each day i would have gone there first, but i guess this time i missed out.

the end?

2007-05-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

well, i sit in Sonia's rather small room at her laptop, and i realise that this is my last night in London. The killers are belting out my favourite killers track on XFM, and im trying to polish off ths last third of this bottle of beam.

I think my last central city visit has been and gone, its out to ealing tonight for dinner and drinks with matty & katie and a few other friends and ex housemates. and then tomorrow morning i will be doing all the last minutes preps and paranoid pete checks (lubeek that ones for you!!)

its a strange feeling, one that cant be defined, it just is what it is. even though the weather has been great the last month or so, its been grey and shit since i got back from prague, so in essence its london at its purest. Its a shame that there are numerous people i havnt been able to catch up with, and a number of places that i didnt get to go to one last time. but my memories are fond, and my opinions high.

The last two years have felt like 2 months, and its strange to think that i will have been gone from home for 27 months before i get home, but the "around the world and back again" trip has been a crucial part of my life, and without it i would be stuck still being the old me, the experiences, the relationships, and the memories were worth everything i lost back home and a whole lot more .

I have a whole group of new people to meet over the next few months, couchsurfers across america everywhere!! funnily enough my first two nights in New York i have nowhere to stay, too late for couchsurfers, but im not going the safety and booking a hostel, im just going to see what happens. there was a time when i would have shit myself in a scenario like that, determined to know where i was destined for and now... i dont even care, i just wanna be there, i cant wait for it to begin... its so exciting what lies ahead.

i better go, im gonna be late, and im starving.

well after a couple of minutes i couldnt think of a way to finish this off that does my time justice.

there is just no way to put it into words, so all i can say is thank you.

Prague

2007-05-05T08:03:00.000-07:00

What can i say, i absolutly loved it! so glad i went before leaving europe, the experience would have been incomplete without it. A place that really lets you know where you are. It was such a beautiful place. 5.30am one day saw me on charles bridge with the sun rising, so much more peaceful than midday when its a tourist hellhole. through the middle of the days i wandered the streets, finding all kinds of new buildings and scenes to photograph. the weather was sunny throughout but chilly with the breeze sometimes, and cold at night. but that didnt stop me heading out at 1am to shoot the castle and the bridge lit up. again, a breathtaking experience. many locals, not speaking a word of english came up to me and stated how beautiful they think it is (at least thats what i think they said!!) I couchsurfed with an American Lass and her flatmates in a cool apartment in an even better location, just off the river and 2 mins from the national theatre, my highest regards to them, they made my experience so much more!!

The Cathedral within the walls of Prague Castle

An amazing square which i fail to recall the name of

Yet another church

Looking back to the city over the memorial to the victims of communism

The city end of Charles Bridge

The Castle at night

Inside Prague's oldest pub

a small part of the castle gardens

The food and beer, was great, and at rock bottom prices, had roast rabbit for my last supper and it was superb, several beers in different pubs around the traps, including a pint of a wicked dark beer (see picture for the name, dont even ask me how to pronounce it) in Pragues oldest pub. this is allegedly of course, but it was pretty freakin old and was very cool inside!!

hope you like just a few of my images from this benchmark european city, if you havnt already, you must....

Gumball 3000 Rally Pall Mall London

2007-05-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

So the day before it was scheduled to start i found out it was on. I went down on a beautiful sunny day to Londons west end and discovered a huge long line of fantastically presented cars, famous people, and of course, gorgeous girls. I made my way up and down the preccession of the worlds most druelled over vehicles, snapping what i could when there weren't 500 people standing in front of me or walking in the way at the crucial moment. here is just a bit of what i saw in the last couple of hours counting down to the start.... tragically, in the first fatality in the 9 years of the gumball rally, a person was killed in an accident in eastern europe (a civilian not a driver), midway through the rally, understanadbly the event has been cancelled. this year.

just quickly

2007-05-02T07:36:00.000-07:00

Well its been pretty exciting this past week or so. I wound up my last couple of days at work, had going away drinks and got ridiculously spoiled by my colleagues, all was very nice! then Australia played in the world cup final, clinching the 3rd straight title and possibly putting them in a position of being named one of the greatest sides to ever compete, match was marred by bad weather and strange umpiring decisions, but in the end, Mr Gilchrist put us on the podium with his record 149 run innings. The Gumball 3000 kicked off from London on sunday afternoon, plenty of awesome cars, and quite a few stars, making it a photographic bonanza. then when it all kicked off and they roared out of the city one by one, well, good times. the highlight being the F1 car dropping burnouts repeatedly as it left....

and now, well im in Prague, the city of a 1000 spires. its so beatiful, more than living up to expectations, iv been wandering this place for a couple of days, endlessly finding new pthings to see. the architecture is without doubt the most stunning i have seen in europe. Not just the beauty of it, but the quantity, nearly every street you look down has amazing colours, styles and scenes that never cease to amaze you. I will write more when i have slightly more time in london, but just had to say something now. oh, and the beer, fantastic, and friggin cheap. 50p for a pint. im staying. hahaha! more images to come too....heres just one or chew...

Easter weekend and wrapping it up

2007-04-27T01:42:00.000-07:00

On the Easter long weekend i had my first two days off in a row for some time. I decided to head to Oxford for the day as my time in London is running out and its one of those places i hadn't seen yet but really should. I took the bus out there and discovered an interesting old town with many beautiful old buildings. I was somewhat disappointed with some of the images i got. but i was there through the middle of the day, and in the evening after a few beers in O'neils watching England bat poorly against the Australian attack, i wondered back out looking for something nice to catch in the failing light. I failed. however the colours in the stone buildings with the orange sunlight was quite nice.

The Cherri blossoms where out and the weather was very nice with just the odd spots of cloud. The cities towers and spires gave a very medieval feel to the place, but you could strangely walk around the corner and find yourself walking past every high st chain store you would find in London!! I found this round building amongst a couple of university campuses which apparently was the first round reading room constructed. The city is astoundingly old, i climbed a tower up a ridiculously skinny spiral staircase (no room for people to get past and there where people trying to go up and down constantly!!) the view from above looking down inside the courtyards of the square or rectangular buildings was pretty cool, reminded me of some scenes from Robin Hood : Prince of Thieves, and i also got a much better vantage point to shoot the reading room from.

Monday i headed to Greenwich with Matty and Katie, nearly fell in the Thames making a last gasp effort to board the ferry as it departed, thankfully i avoided the rich, cosby infested waters of the mighty river!! The observatory out there was brilliant and standing on the prime meridian, although pretty basic at the time (due to the 4 billion tourists there) was a pretty special thing i suppose. The view back down the hill across the park to the naval college buildings, the river and canary wharf was pretty nice!! The Cutty Sark clipper was being refurbed, so i didnt see it, bastards! but i managed to catch up with a friend of my cousins, Rhys and one of his mates at a pub for a beer and chat. The weather turned shite so we bailed and headed back up river. worth the visit for sure though.

So that was the weekend, not a bad one actually!! the rest of the month has flown and now im sitting here on my last day of work reflecting on my life that was in London! Drinks tonight, world cup final tomorrow, then im going to Prague for most of next week which should provide me with a whole new range of photographic opportunities. I have been looking forward to this for more than two years now, so im pretty gee-d up about it! when i get back im having my going away party at B@1 in hammersmith, then chilling for a week before i leave for New York and wave goodbye to London from the window of a jet for the last time. well, for a few years any way.......

2007-04-07T06:32:00.000-07:00

Due to being made homeless by our ol'bastard paedophilic landlord, i was forced to find accomadation temporarily until being able to move into the room of some friends that are going to greece. I have been to camden many times and i know it can be busy, but this one sunday afternoon was absolutly chaotic. In london, as soon as the sun comes out and temperatures rise into the mid teens towards 20, especially coming out of winter, everyone, and i mean everyone wants to be outside, and a large mojority of those people are drinking, certainly one thing i will miss when i get back home, is just being able to roam around with open alchohol and the cops just walk right on by... anyway this was along chalk farm rd towards the stables, i thought the image conveys the bussling congestion of the markets at the time.

Richmond is awesome. its like being in another city even though your still in london (although it is zone 4) several pubs down by the river, the thames flooding at high tide, a big green hill with a few hundred people just out drinking and enjoying the sunshine. i see a pattern developing. no seriously, possibly one of the most beautiful parts of london and definatly one of my favourites. atmosphere is brilliant! very similar to home really, well in some aspects anyway!

as the sunsets over the river, the airliners just never stop, every 90 seconds there is a jet flying over, heathrow not to much further to the west. dont see a lot of sunsets in london amongst all the building s all the time, but when you do they can sometimes be very pretty.

ok, my test is complete. i can select and upload images straight from my card reader and then post them and the associated stories on my blog. the coming trip is going to rock, this blog should be a great way of telling all the stories, only difficulty will be selecting which images to post!!!

Auf Wiedersehen